Electric Guitar - Wireless

[swingtoneman]

'Newbe' here to the wireless system--hence questions: Your knowledge welcome.

a) I have 2 guitars--one with a floating neck pickup 1/4" jack. One with a small mic mounted on the guitar top--('ISCHELL') make--XLR iput.
b) Do transmitter / receivers work OK with XLR inputs? Are they available?
c) As well as the input and output to the guitar and amp does the system require a receiver that sits probably on top of the amp?

What make of wireless system is reliable? Quite a few to choose from. I shall be using my guitar / amp no more than 2 meters away from each other.

[Woody Sound]

There are a bunch of wireless xlr adapters available. I bought the x-vive for my wife’s singing mic. Works great with that. They’re a little more bulky than the guitar things. Just search “wireless xlr.”

[sgosnell]

Most wireless systems use 1/4" plugs, but not all. My favorite wireless system is the Line6 Relay G10. The transmitter only has a 1/4" plug, but the receiver has both 1/4" and XLR outputs, so it can be used direct to a PA using the XLR, and into an amp or whatever else using the 1/4", at the same time. For connecting to an instrument that has an XLR jack, it's not that hard to make a short adapter cable with an XLR connector on one end and a female 1/4" jack on the other. An endpin jack can be used, witih shrinkwrap over it and the cable connection. That would allow quick swapping of the transmitter, just unplug and replug. There are obviously other ways of doing this.

I also have an Xvive wireless system, which only has two identical units, transmitter and receiver. It's smaller and lighter, and doesn't need a USB power source like the G10, but it's noisier, and only has 1/4" plugs for both transmitter and receiver. The G10 is very quiet for me, but there is some audible hiss with the Xvive and also the Ammoon system I have but rarely use. Line6 has other, more expensive systems, but I have no personal experience with them.

[swingtoneman]

Many thanks for your swift reply to my questions. Much appreciated.

swingtoneman

[sgosnell]

One other thing to note about the Relay G10 is that a USB power bank can run the receiver. I have a couple of small ones I got as PR giveaways years ago, and they still power it for at least a couple of hours. I've never had one run out. Obviously bigger and better power banks will last longer, but I prefer to travel light.

[Woody Sound]

There are a bunch of wireless xlr adapters available. I bought the x-vive for my wife’s singing mic. Works great with that. They’re a little more bulky than the guitar things. Just search “wireless xlr.”

wireless xlr - Google Search

[SetPhasersToSwing]

Can I ask, if you’re only a few metres away from your amp, do you need a wireless system? Only asking because, for all the hassle they save, you need another electric socket, they can introduce interference, you may experience signal drop outs in some venues etc.

What is the context, are you gigging, playing at home? I used to use a wireless system in my wedding band but we moved around a lot and it saved on cable mess on the side of the stage I shared with our bassist. For jazz gigs, I use a cable.

[garybaldy]

Most wireless systems use 1/4" plugs, but not all. My favorite wireless system is the Line6 Relay G10. The transmitter only has a 1/4" plug, but the receiver has both 1/4" and XLR outputs, so it can be used direct to a PA using the XLR, and into an amp or whatever else using the 1/4", at the same time. For connecting to an instrument that has an XLR jack, it's not that hard to make a short adapter cable with an XLR connector on one end and a female 1/4" jack on the other. An endpin jack can be used, witih shrinkwrap over it and the cable connection. That would allow quick swapping of the transmitter, just unplug and replug. There are obviously other ways of doing this.

I also have an Xvive wireless system, which only has two identical units, transmitter and receiver. It's smaller and lighter, and doesn't need a USB power source like the G10, but it's noisier, and only has 1/4" plugs for both transmitter and receiver. The G10 is very quiet for me, but there is some audible hiss with the Xvive and also the Ammoon system I have but rarely use. Line6 has other, more expensive systems, but I have no personal experience with them.

I've been using the Line 6 g10s for 2.5 years now. It's an excellent unit and I like the virtual cable selector switch.

[Woody Sound]

This one has been getting very good reviews at a reasonable price, and it's fairly slender. The only negative being reported is that actual battery life for continuous signal has been ~5-6 hours. (But that seems reasonable to me.)

Spark LINK XLR | Wireless XLR Audio System | Positive Grid

[sgosnell]

Can I ask, if you’re only a few metres away from your amp, do you need a wireless system? Only asking because, for all the hassle they save, you need another electric socket, they can introduce interference, you may experience signal drop outs in some venues etc.

What is the context, are you gigging, playing at home? I used to use a wireless system in my wedding band but we moved around a lot and it saved on cable mess on the side of the stage I shared with our bassist. For jazz gigs, I use a cable.

I haven't tried every system available, but for the ones I have, there is no electric socket needed, other than for charging as necessary. They're all battery operated. The Line6 G10 does require external power via a 5VDC USB connection, but I just use a battery for that. There can be interference, but I also get interference through a cable in many locations. The cable acts like an antenna, and there can be buzzing even with a humbucking pickup. It's hit or miss. Signal dropout is mostly a non-issue, at least for me. The biggest advantage is that I don't have to worry about the cable, which can get tangled in feet, depending on the setup, how many feet are moving around, etc. Even if it's just me, I'm not immune from stepping on the cable. Many guitars have been badly damaged by having the cable jerked, whether in use or on a stand. Having your guitar jerked off the stand, hitting the floor and the headstock breaking off is not a pleasant experience. But in the end, use what works for you.

[garybaldy]

Can I ask, if you’re only a few metres away from your amp, do you need a wireless system? Only asking because, for all the hassle they save, you need another electric socket, they can introduce interference, you may experience signal drop outs in some venues etc.

What is the context, are you gigging, playing at home? I used to use a wireless system in my wedding band but we moved around a lot and it saved on cable mess on the side of the stage I shared with our bassist. For jazz gigs, I use a cable.

Wireless is handy when doing a sound check for the whole band. It's fascinating also to hear the different qualities wherever you are listening from.
I also do Double bass gigs and I find, with bass, the on stage sound is totally different to that in the 'auditorium' (well - pub actually!). So it's good to be able to check.

[Woody Sound]

Can I ask, if you’re only a few metres away from your amp, do you need a wireless system? Only asking because, for all the hassle they save, you need another electric socket, they can introduce interference, you may experience signal drop outs in some venues etc.

What is the context, are you gigging, playing at home? I used to use a wireless system in my wedding band but we moved around a lot and it saved on cable mess on the side of the stage I shared with our bassist. For jazz gigs, I use a cable.

Anytime I can get cables out of the way it's a blessing. I do a trio with 3 people standing. All guitars and mics are wireless, we have no cables running around our feet. Sometimes I want to step out into the audience while playing to see how the balance is, I can do that. For music theater, I sit right next to my amps. Depending on the show, I *average* 3 guitars, two amps, and a pedalboard. Thats a lot of cables, and no matter how carefully I place them, as soon as I start switching instruments, I end up with a complete twisted spaghetti mix tangled around my feet. By using wireless for everything, there's never a tangled mess around my feet. And it's quick and easy instrument changes. The only time I use a cable is sometimes with the big band, where I am sitting next to the amp, same guitar all night. And even then, sometimes I just prefer not to have a cable near my feet.